Mr. Craig Taylor reports
DEFENSE METALS DRILLS 3.01% LIGHT RARE EARTH OXIDE OVER 89 METRES AND CONTINUES TO EXPAND THE WICHEEDA RARE EARTH ELEMENT DEPOSIT
Defense Metals Corp. has provided its assay results for drill holes WI19-28 and WI19-29 from the recently completed 2019 resource definition diamond drill program at its 1,708-hectare (4,220-acre) Wicheeda rare earth element (REE) project located near Prince George, Canada.
Drill hole WI19-28 (minus-45-degree dip/45-degree azimuth) was a definition drill hole designed to cut the northeastern contact of the dolomite-carbonatite and returned 2.46 per cent light rare earth oxide (LREO; being cerium, lanthanum, neodymium, praseodymium and samarium oxides (Ce2O3 plus La2O3 plus Nd2O3 plus Pr2O3 plus Sm2O3) over a drill core interval of 69.5 metres (1) (see attached table).
Drill hole WI19-29 (minus-45-degree dip/190-degree azimuth) tested the northern extension of the Wicheeda REE deposit and returned 3.01 per cent light rare earth oxide over a drill core interval of 89 metres (1). WI19-29 successfully expanded drill defined REE mineralized dolomite-carbonate a distance of 45 metres in an area of limited historical drilling. This drill hole in conjunction with high-grade REE mineralized intercept returned from drill hole WI19-31 serves to underscore the significance of the newly discovered Wicheeda North zone.
WICHEEDA REE DEPOSIT 2019 DIAMOND DRILL INTERCEPTS
From To Int. (1) LREO Ce2O3 La2O3 Nd2O3 Pr2O3 Sm2O3
Hole ID Released (m) (m) (m) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%)
WI19-28 Current news release 3.15 72.6 69.5 2.46 1.17 0.90 0.27 0.10 0.03
WI19-29 73 162 89.0 3.01 1.44 1.07 0.35 0.12 0.04
WI19-20 Oct. 31, 2019, news release 4.6 68.8 64.2 4.32 2.10 1.54 0.46 0.18 0.04
WI19-21 3.9 114 110.1 3.26 1.57 1.16 0.36 0.14 0.04
WI19-22 Nov. 14, 2019, news release 7 113 106 2.71 1.31 0.98 0.28 0.11 0.03
WI19-23 4 109 105 3.12 1.49 1.14 0.34 0.13 0.03
WI19-24 2.9 83 80.1 2.43 1.18 0.83 0.29 0.10 0.03
WI19-25 Nov. 20, 2019, news release 1.1 143.4 142.3 2.22 1.08 0.78 0.24 0.09 0.03
including 1.1 25 23.9 3.87 1.89 1.42 0.39 0.14 0.04
and 60 83 23.0 3.93 1.90 1.42 0.43 0.15 0.04
WI19-26 1.8 128 126.2 2.82 1.34 1.07 0.29 0.10 0.03
including 32 80 48.0 4.21 1.99 1.61 0.42 0.15 0.04
WI19-27 2 120.3 118.3 2.54 1.22 0.92 0.27 0.10 0.03
WI19-31 Nov. 27, 2019, news release 55.7 138.5 82.9 4.43 2.08 1.60 0.51 0.19 0.05
including 64 97 33.0 5.47 2.58 1.96 0.64 0.23 0.06
(1) The true width of REE mineralization is estimated to be 70 to 100 per cent of the drilled interval.
Craig Taylor, chief executive officer and president of Defense Metals, commented: "With the release of drill hole WI19-29 we continue to demonstrate the significant upside potential of the Wicheeda North zone. Defense Metals 3-D geologic modelling predicted the presence of additional REE mineralized dolomite-carbonatite here, which was borne out by the results released today. The Wicheeda North zone remains underevaluated, and it's clear that additional drill testing there will be the way forward to the possible expansion of the Wicheeda deposit during 2020. We continue to be encouraged by significant advances made during 2019 on both the metallurgical and resource drilling fronts."
The 2019 Wicheeda REE deposit resource definition drill program comprised 13 diamond drill holes totalling 2,005 metres that were completed from three separate drill pads, designed to test the northern, southern and western extent of the Wicheeda deposit where it remains open, and to further delineate the relatively higher-grade, near-surface dolomite carbonatite unit.
Defense Metals looks forward to receipt of assay results for the remaining two drill holes within the coming weeks and will provide additional updates as they are received.
Methodology and quality assurance/quality control
The analytical work reported on herein was performed by ALS Canada Ltd. at Kamloops (sample preparation) and Vancouver (ICP-MS fusion), B.C. ALS is an ISO-IEC 17025:2017 and ISO 9001:2015 accredited geoanalytical laboratory and is independent of the Defense Metals and the qualified person. Drill core samples were subject to crushing at a minimum of 70 per cent passing two millimetres, followed by pulverizing of a 250-gram split to 85 per cent passing 75 microns. A 0.1-gram sample pulp was then subject to multielement ICP-MS analysis via lithium-borate fusion to determine individual REE content (ME-MS81h). Defense Metals follows industry standard procedures for the work carried out on the Wicheeda project, with a quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) program. Blank, duplicate and standard samples were inserted into the sample sequence sent to the laboratory for analysis. Defense Metals detected no significant QA/QC issues during review of the data. Defense Metals is not aware of any drilling, sampling, recovery or other factors that could materially affect the accuracy or reliability of the data referred to herein.
Qualified person
The scientific and technical information contained in this news release as it relates to the Wicheeda rare earth element project has been reviewed and approved by Kristopher J. Raffle, PGeo (B.C.), principal and consultant of APEX Geoscience Ltd. of Edmonton, Alta., a director of Defense Metals, and a qualified person as defined in National Instrument 43-101 -- Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Raffle verified the data disclosed which include a review of the analytical and test data underlying the information and opinions contained therein.
About Defense Metals Corp.
Defense Metals is a mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition of mineral deposits containing metals and elements commonly used in the electric power market, military, national security and the production of green energy technologies, such as, high strength, lightweight, rare earth magnets. Defense Metals' primary focus is to exercise its option to acquire 100 per cent of the 1,708-hectare Wicheeda rare earth element project.
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